Bryan Mbeumo scored twice to keep Brentford’s slim chances of making it to Europe alive as they defeated 10-man Brighton 4-2 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Securing their first Premier League victory at home in four months has put Thomas Frank’s team in contention for a top-eight finish. Their strong performance against another European hopeful indicates they are ready to keep fighting in the final weeks of the season.
Although still trailing Brighton by two points, Brentford outplayed their opponents in west London and took the lead early on as Mbeumo broke through Fabian Hurzeler’s defense to score.
After Danny Welbeck equalized for Brighton at the end of the first half, Mbeumo quickly restored Brentford’s lead at the start of the second half. Yoane Wissa added a deflected goal to make it three for Brentford.
Joao Pedro’s red card for his misconduct in the 61st minute left Brighton with 10 players, and Kaoru Mitoma's late goal offered some hope, which was dashed by Christian Norgaard's header at the end.
The match concluded with a concerning injury incident as Brighton's Jean Paul van Hecke was stretchered off wearing a neck brace after a collision with Yunus Konak.
Brentford took the lead after nine minutes through Mbeumo's precise finish. Welbeck then leveled the score with a well-placed header just before half time.
The second half started with Brentford quickly regaining the lead through Mbeumo's left-footed strike, followed by Wissa's deflected shot finding the net. Pedro's red card added to Brighton's woes as Mitoma’s goal set up a tense finale, which was eventually sealed by Norgaard's header in stoppage time.